By Steve Proizer Prodigy, post-Parker junkie, died by homicide at a young age (1938-1972). No matter. The myth must not oust the player. Musically, Lee Morgan was a muthahfucka. Whatever influences he brought to the music – funk, modal, latin, free – Lee has always sounded like Lee and theRead More →
James Mtume, a jazz/R&B artist, producer and percussionist who performed with Miles Davis and scored a 1983 pop hit with “Juicy Fruit”, died at 76 over the weekend. No official cause of death was available at press time, with Fork first reporting the musician’s passing and an official statement fromRead More →
Willie Bradley, South Carolina State University alumnus, freelance jazz recording artist and trumpeter, has won the Smooth Jazz Network’s 2021 Artist of the Year. Bradley’s honor was featured in the 2021 year-end edition of Beats Magazine. Bradley was one of 12 finalists for Best Jazz Artist. His song “It’s MyRead More →
Who’s the fan of acclaimed San Diego trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, jazz giants John Coltrane and Lee Morgan? So big that he estimates he owns at least 50 vinyl albums by each of them. So great that he can name the most obscure recordings that featured Morgan and Coltrane as sidemenRead More →
Mike Renzi, who accompanied Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Lady Gaga and others, died last week. NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with broadcaster Murray Horwitz, who had known Renzi for more than 40 years. (SOUNDBITE OF HARRY ALLEN AND MIKE RENZI “THE LAST BEST YEAR”) SCOTT SIMON, HOST: The greatRead More →
Jazz great Charlie Parker would have turned 100 in 2020, but COVID-19 has delayed the celebrations. Now, UNC Charlotte is honoring him with a series of “Charlie Parker 101” events. Left to right, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis in 1948. William Gottleib If you’re not yet a fan of jazzRead More →
It’s an enigma as old as live popular music itself. A veteran act wants to branch out, move forward and defy expectations, but fans want to hear from old favorites. It was the kind of challenge trumpeter Lee Morgan faced when he and his band played a two-week engagement atRead More →
“Live at the Lighthouse” was to be the start of a new chapter for Lee Morgan in 1970. As someone who hasn’t slowed down much since he first picked up the trumpet in his early teens and is become a star of the jazz scene of the 1960s. , theRead More →
By JOHN STATON, Wilmington StarNews WILMINGTON, NC (AP) — When it comes to jazz, legendary label Blue Note has long represented the pinnacle of musical form, releasing albums by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and many other jazz icons. Earlier this year, Wilmington-based composer and percussionist Joe Chambers –Read More →
The jazz collection has an archaeological aspect; it’s one of my favorite aspects of the hobby. More than most other genres, jazz evolved in its early decades, and it did so on record. Each musician was distinctive, changing from session to session, and interacting with other musicians in ways specificRead More →
Despite his somewhat limited output and even shorter life, Lee Morgan is considered one of the greatest trumpeters in jazz history. It’s his story. On a freezing night in New York in 1967, one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time didn’t own a trumpet. He was in theRead More →
Lee Morgan hadn’t even turned 20 when he ventured into Rudy Van Gelder’s recording studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, on September 29, 1957, to record The Cook. Born in Philadelphia, Morgan (1938-1972) was a trumpeter prodigy who idolized Clifford Brown (the innovative hard bop horn blower who had died inRead More →
On a freezing night in 1967, trumpeter Lee Morgan didn’t even own a trumpet. He had left his horn and winter coat at the pawnshop, all for the purpose of scoring heroin. He was often seen sleeping on the sidewalk outside of Birdland in New York, sometimes without shoes onRead More →
The film I called him Morgan chronicles the rise and tragic fall of trumpeter Lee Morgan, who grew up in Philadelphia. WRTI’s Susan Lewis spoke with sax master Odean Pope about her memories of Morgan, who in his short life made a lasting contribution. SL_ADLF_171113_OdeanPopeonLeeMorgan_slTM.mp3 Sax master Odean Pope talksRead More →
Hear Morgan’s trumpet player Eddie Henderson November 3-4 at Lewers Lounge, then watch the Hawaii International Film Festival documentary “I Called Him Morgan” on November 5. Video and photos: Courtesy of the Honolulu International Film Festival ADirectors and directors make regular appearances at film festivals, but it’s rare to hearRead More →
The main challenge in producing a documentary about jazz artists is choosing the best way to frame the story. How should a director talk about an artist’s life and music? Does the artist’s pure biography or mythology take precedence in the story? When it comes to music, a technical approachRead More →
Artistic, obsessive and intoxicating, “I Called Him Morgan” is a documentary with a creative soul, and that makes all the difference. It’s not just that it’s a haunting and deeply moving jazz tragedy, dealing with the life and untimely death in 1972 of legendary trumpeter Lee Morgan, who was shotRead More →
Leave it to a Swedish documentary filmmaker to uncover a nearly forgotten chapter in American jazz history: the brilliant life and ugly death of trumpeter Lee Morgan, shot by his common-law wife, Helen, between sets at Slug’s Saloon in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. in 1972. (Apparently she wasRead More →
FilmRise has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Swedish director Kasper Collin’s Lee Morgan documentary “I Called Him Morgan.” The documentary had its world premiere at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival, then screened at the Toronto, Telluride and New York film festivals. “I Called Him Morgan” will be released theatricallyRead More →
Staff report February 10, 2016 Kasimu Taylor, St. Louis-born jazz trumpeterKingtungsten Photography | For the Telegraph ST. LOUIS — A tribute to famed jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan will include songs from his album ‘The Sidewinder,’ as well as other compositions he wrote and performed. The concert will feature iconic MorganRead More →
Lifelong jazz musician and educator clark terry is dead. He was 94 years old. Al Hicksdirector of the documentary about Clark’s life, keep on keep onRecount The Hollywood Reporter Saturday. He had been in poor health for several years due to advanced diabetes and entered hospice earlier this month, BillboardRead More →
Although Lee Morgan had already made a handful of albums by the age of 19, The Cook (1957) depicts his throwing of the gauntlet as successor to Clifford Brown’s vacant throne. It’s close to being a pure bebop session, reminiscent of a date like Reserved for musicians (Verve, 1956), onRead More →